Like any other part of a warehouse’s infrastructure and handling equipment floors can be a costly problem if neglected or poorly installed in the first place. Floor problems are many and in cost terms can be graded like earthquakes, from two for minimal to eight for great. The worst of these is probably when a new floor slab installation is sub standard owing to poor flatness, despite conforming to a certain national standard. This may seem surprising but it is a common occurrence because very few flooring contractors can show a full understanding and proficiency in VNA floor grinding, says Concrete Grinding, part of the CoGri Group. The remedial costs of such shortcomings could be high if all the aisles have to be reground.
Fortunately, remedial techniques over the last 25 years have made the nightmare of uneven floors much less costly. In a worst case scenario, severe floor dishing owing to poor subsoil conditions was resolved by the extremely costly and disruptive pile driving solution. Now, however, there are foam injection techniques, like those from Uretek, that fill large voids under the floor slab at a small fraction of the cost, time and disruption of pile driving. There are also better methods to reduce disruption when, for example, a warehouse wishes to convert some of its wide aisle storage to VNA storage. The conventional approach to improved flatness would be the long-strip method but the Laser Screed and Laser Grind method within the necessary aisles is much less disruptive and quicker.
The problems of poor floor flatness are lower productivity rates, damage to trucks, racking and handled goods, and safety. The last of these takes many forms, from trips and slips caused by poor housekeeping regimes, like failure to keep floors clean and clear of debris, to more serious accidents with forklift/racking collisions. Floor neglect also causes truck damage through poor joint conditions and serious potholes, leading to higher maintenance costs and raised accident potential. It is a damning indictment of some UK warehouse operators that there is too much warehouse and factory floor neglect because users have a misguided belief that a concrete floor is indestructible and so treated with scant regard. A maintenance budget for the floor is rarely put in place, claims the concrete floor specialist, CoGrip Group, and so any remedial work tends to be reactionary rather than preventative. This attitude costs a lot more in the long run, not just in the floor but on maintenance of the materials handling equipment.
One could also reasonably claim that there is room for improvement over more floor signage to keep pedestrians and trucks safely apart. It is a legal requirement that all routes shall be suitably indicated where necessary for reasons of health and safety. Here it is tempting to let price be the key buying determinant but that could be false economy. The need is to consider life expectancy. Floor paint may be cheaper but a hard-wearing resin would last much longer before needing repair.
More consideration to floors should also include assessment of potentially slippery floors to see if they arrant application of an anti slip product. Many slips can prove very costly through litigation claims.
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